We like to spend and there is no doubt about it. Many purchases are not exactly well justified and I would like to hope that this will change. As we become more environmentally aware and mature as consumers it is important to think about tools we use to shop. By tools I mean which method of payment you prefer by choice or out of habit. What is more environmentally friendly way to spend money – cash or credit card? Many have analyzed this question to give a clear answer to those who are still wondering. To avoid bias we have to look at all contributing factors.
First, let’s start with cash and see how green our cash actually is. A $5 bill typically lasts just about 16 months before it wears down so much that it is taken out of circulation. The bill itself is made out of blend of cotton and linen. Both of these products are renewable but extremely resource and labor intensive to cultivate. Cotton in particular is not well favored by farmers because of amount of water, pesticides and fertilizers needed to grow it. This is mainly why a huge part of our cotton is imported from countries like Uzbekistan where child labor is used to collect it. Actual statistical data taken from Miljøstyrelsen[1] states that cultivating and harvesting 1 kilogram of cotton is almost as energy-intensive as producing an equivalent amount of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from which most plastic cards are currently made. On the upside, the materials that go into making cash are not freshly harvested. Dollar bills are made from recycled fibers that would otherwise get thrown away[2]. So cash is not that bad after all or is it? Almost every cash purchase will also involve use of coins. To get the metal to make those coins is far more energy-intensive than producing PVC. For example mining and milling 1 kilogram of copper takes about 109 Megajoules of energy compared to 60 Megajoules for 1 kilogram of PVC.
When it comes to plastic cards as it was previously mentioned most of them are made from PVC. A conventional card weighs about 5 grams and produced out of 4.25 grams of petroleum. If we take this number and multiply by 1.6 billion which the number of plastic cards issued in one of the recent years, we get 45,000 barrels of oil a year. Well, it may seem like a big number but not until we look at how much it really is compared to our daily consumption of oil. In US, 20 million barrels of oil is consumed daily. PVC itself, however, is not recyclable unlike cotton and copper. To address this consumer concern the card industry is starting to experiment with compostable PVC and biopolymers. However, only one alternative exists right now, which is a biodegradable card from Discover[3]. Also, relatively low weight of the card and the fact that they are used for a long time gives the per-transaction impact of virtually zero.
Another factor that we have to look at is transportation. While any plastic card transactions is wireless, cash has to be transported to and from the bank. Storage and processing phase accounts for about a half of the currency's overall environmental pollution and makes it look a lot less green.
In conclusion, if look at a bigger picture and change our habits accordingly we can create a positive change. Becoming mature consumers is not only about the products we choose to buy but also about how we buy it.
First Annotation 1) Full citation.
Rastogi, Nina. “How Green Are Greenbacks?” Slate, April 14, 2009. http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2009/04/how_green_are_greenbacks.html. 2)Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials?
Nina Shen Rastogi is a writer and editor, and is also the vice president for content at Figment.
She also wrote “Who Gave Birth to the Word Nerd?” 3) What is the main topic or argument of the text?
The main topic is the sustainability of our money. 4)Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out.
It was explained that PVC is non-recyclable. Statistics on how much oil it takes to make all the plastic cards was presented. Energy consumption levels for coin production were given. 5)What three quotes capture the critical import of the text? “roughly 45,000 barrels of oil a year just to make the plastic that feeds our late-night eBay sprees” “harvesting, and ginning 1 kilogram of cotton can be almost as energy-intensive as producing an equivalent amount of PVC” “Based on the Mint's production figures and coin specifications, some 41,000 tons of metal were used to make America's change last yea” 6) Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus.
I used the data to make a strong argument. 7) List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post. “A conventional card weighs about 5 grams and produced out of 4.25 grams of petroleum.” “Dollar bills are made from recycled fibers that would otherwise get thrown away.”
Second Annotation 1) Full citation.
“Paper or Plastic? Spending Cash vs Credit Cards.” Accessed April 29, 2014. http://www.treehugger.com/culture/ask-pablo-paper-or-plastic-spending-cash-vs-credit-cards.html. 2)Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials?
Laura Shin is the writer for The New York Times.
Another article she wrote is “Climate Change in Pictures” 3) What is the main topic or argument of the text?
The main topic is the sustainability of our money. 4)Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out. Statistics on how much energy it takes to make a plastic card was presented. She talked about biodegradable Discover card. She presented the statistic that there were nearly 1.5 billion credit cards in use in the U.S in 2006. 5)What three quotes capture the critical import of the text? “A stack of all those credit cards would reach more than 70 miles into space — and be almost as tall as 13 Mount Everests.”
“Professor Chandran calls the BIOPVC card “a Band-aid approach.””
“PVC – outlive their usefulness after three years.” 6) Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus.
The given statistics was useful to make a valid argument. 7)List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post.
“one alternative exists right now, which is a biodegradable card from Discover”
“relatively low weight of the card and the fact that they are used for a long time gives the per-transaction impact of virtually zero.”
http://prezi.com/ztwap-fgjkog/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
The Environmental impact of cash and credit.
We like to spend and there is no doubt about it. Many purchases are not exactly well justified and I would like to hope that this will change. As we become more environmentally aware and mature as consumers it is important to think about tools we use to shop. By tools I mean which method of payment you prefer by choice or out of habit. What is more environmentally friendly way to spend money – cash or credit card? Many have analyzed this question to give a clear answer to those who are still wondering. To avoid bias we have to look at all contributing factors.First, let’s start with cash and see how green our cash actually is. A $5 bill typically lasts just about 16 months before it wears down so much that it is taken out of circulation. The bill itself is made out of blend of cotton and linen. Both of these products are renewable but extremely resource and labor intensive to cultivate. Cotton in particular is not well favored by farmers because of amount of water, pesticides and fertilizers needed to grow it. This is mainly why a huge part of our cotton is imported from countries like Uzbekistan where child labor is used to collect it. Actual statistical data taken from Miljøstyrelsen[1] states that cultivating and harvesting 1 kilogram of cotton is almost as energy-intensive as producing an equivalent amount of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from which most plastic cards are currently made. On the upside, the materials that go into making cash are not freshly harvested. Dollar bills are made from recycled fibers that would otherwise get thrown away[2]. So cash is not that bad after all or is it? Almost every cash purchase will also involve use of coins. To get the metal to make those coins is far more energy-intensive than producing PVC. For example mining and milling 1 kilogram of copper takes about 109 Megajoules of energy compared to 60 Megajoules for 1 kilogram of PVC.
When it comes to plastic cards as it was previously mentioned most of them are made from PVC. A conventional card weighs about 5 grams and produced out of 4.25 grams of petroleum. If we take this number and multiply by 1.6 billion which the number of plastic cards issued in one of the recent years, we get 45,000 barrels of oil a year. Well, it may seem like a big number but not until we look at how much it really is compared to our daily consumption of oil. In US, 20 million barrels of oil is consumed daily. PVC itself, however, is not recyclable unlike cotton and copper. To address this consumer concern the card industry is starting to experiment with compostable PVC and biopolymers. However, only one alternative exists right now, which is a biodegradable card from Discover[3]. Also, relatively low weight of the card and the fact that they are used for a long time gives the per-transaction impact of virtually zero.
Another factor that we have to look at is transportation. While any plastic card transactions is wireless, cash has to be transported to and from the bank. Storage and processing phase accounts for about a half of the currency's overall environmental pollution and makes it look a lot less green.
In conclusion, if look at a bigger picture and change our habits accordingly we can create a positive change. Becoming mature consumers is not only about the products we choose to buy but also about how we buy it.
[1] Miljøstyrelsen. “index.” Text, July 23, 2006. http://www2.mst.dk/common/Udgivramme/Frame.asp?http:www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publications/2007/978-87-7052-515-2/html/kap15_eng.htm
[2] Rastogi, Nina. “How Green Are Greenbacks?” Slate, April 14, 2009. http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2009/04/how_green_are_greenbacks.html.
[3] “Making Credit Cards Landfill-Friendly.”
Green Blog. Accessed April 29, 2014. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/making-credit-cards-landfill-friendly/.
Bibliography
1. Rastogi, Nina. “How Green Are Greenbacks?” Slate, April 14, 2009. http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2009/04/how_green_are_greenbacks.html.
2. “Paper or Plastic? Spending Cash vs Credit Cards.” Accessed April 29, 2014. http://www.treehugger.com/culture/ask-pablo-paper-or-plastic-spending-cash-vs-credit-cards.html.
3. Miljøstyrelsen. “index.” Text, July 23, 2006. http://www2.mst.dk/common/Udgivramme/Frame.asp?http:www2.mst.dk/Udgiv/publications/2007/978-87-7052-515-2/html/kap15_eng.htm.
4. “Making Credit Cards Landfill-Friendly.” Green Blog. Accessed April 29, 2014. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/making-credit-cards-landfill-friendly/.
Annotations
First Annotation
1) Full citation.
Rastogi, Nina. “How Green Are Greenbacks?” Slate, April 14, 2009. http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2009/04/how_green_are_greenbacks.html.
2) Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials?
Nina Shen Rastogi is a writer and editor, and is also the vice president for content at Figment.
She also wrote “Who Gave Birth to the Word Nerd?”
3) What is the main topic or argument of the text?
The main topic is the sustainability of our money.
4) Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out.
It was explained that PVC is non-recyclable.
Statistics on how much oil it takes to make all the plastic cards was presented.
Energy consumption levels for coin production were given.
5) What three quotes capture the critical import of the text?
“roughly 45,000 barrels of oil a year just to make the plastic that feeds our late-night eBay sprees”
“harvesting, and ginning 1 kilogram of cotton can be almost as energy-intensive as producing an equivalent amount of PVC”
“Based on the Mint's production figures and coin specifications, some 41,000 tons of metal were used to make America's change last yea”
6) Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus.
I used the data to make a strong argument.
7) List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post.
“A conventional card weighs about 5 grams and produced out of 4.25 grams of petroleum.”
“Dollar bills are made from recycled fibers that would otherwise get thrown away.”
Second Annotation
1) Full citation.
“Paper or Plastic? Spending Cash vs Credit Cards.” Accessed April 29, 2014. http://www.treehugger.com/culture/ask-pablo-paper-or-plastic-spending-cash-vs-credit-cards.html.
2) Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials?
Laura Shin is the writer for The New York Times.
Another article she wrote is “Climate Change in Pictures”
3) What is the main topic or argument of the text?
The main topic is the sustainability of our money.
4) Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out.
Statistics on how much energy it takes to make a plastic card was presented.
She talked about biodegradable Discover card.
She presented the statistic that there were nearly 1.5 billion credit cards in use in the U.S in 2006.
5) What three quotes capture the critical import of the text?
“A stack of all those credit cards would reach more than 70 miles into space — and be almost as tall as 13 Mount Everests.”
“Professor Chandran calls the BIOPVC card “a Band-aid approach.””
“PVC – outlive their usefulness after three years.”
6) Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus.
The given statistics was useful to make a valid argument.
7) List at least two details or references from the text that you have used in your presentation and wiki post.
“one alternative exists right now, which is a biodegradable card from Discover”
“relatively low weight of the card and the fact that they are used for a long time gives the per-transaction impact of virtually zero.”